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- Ancient brew masters tapped antibiotic secrets
A chemical analysis of the bones of ancient Nubians shows that they were regularly consuming tetracycline, most likely in their beer. The finding is the strongest evidence yet that the art of making antibiotics, which officially dates to the discovery of penicillin in 1928, was common practice nearly 2,000 years ago. The study finds that it's likely this prehistoric population was using empirical evidence to develop therapeutic agents.
- New evidence that fat cells are not just dormant storage depots for calories
Scientists are reporting new evidence that the fat tissue in those lower belly pooches -- far from being a dormant storage depot for surplus calories -- is an active organ that sends chemical signals to other parts of the body, perhaps increasing the risk of heart attacks, cancer, and other diseases. They are reporting discovery of 20 new hormones and other substances not previously known to be secreted into the blood by human fat cells and verification that fat secretes dozens of hormones and other chemical messengers.
- Computer scientists leverage dark silicon to improve smartphone battery life
A new smartphone chip prototype under development will improve smartphone efficiency by making use of "dark silicon" -- the underused transistors in modern microprocessors.
- Success stops drug trial: Apixaban prevents stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation who are unsuitable for warfarin
The data monitoring committee of the AVERROES study, seeing overwhelming evidence of the success of apixaban in the prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation who are unsuitable for the conventional treatment of warfarin, has recommended early termination of this study. The decision came after repeated review and careful consideration of all efficacy and safety data.
- Mineral physicists find new scenery at Earth's core-mantle boundary
Using a diamond-anvil cell to recreate the high pressures deep within the earth, researchers have found unusual properties in an iron-rich magnesium- and iron-oxide mineral that may explain the existence of several ultra-low velocity zones at the core--mantle boundary.
- Risk of marijuana's 'gateway effect' overblown, new research shows
New research shows that the "gateway effect" of marijuana -- that teenagers who use marijuana are more likely to move on to harder illicit drugs as young adults -- may be overblown.
- Recipe for water: Just add starlight
The European Space Agency's Herschel infrared space observatory has discovered that ultraviolet starlight is the key ingredient for making water in space. It is the only explanation for why a dying star is surrounded by a gigantic cloud of hot water vapor.
- New infrared light may open new frontier in fighting cancer, Tay Sachs
A "game-changing" technique using near infrared light enables scientists to look deeper into the guts of cells, potentially opening up a new frontier in the fights against cancer and many other diseases.
- Getting a tail up on conservation? New method for measuring lizard weight from size
A researcher in Israel has developed an improved tool for translating lizard body lengths to weights. The new equations calculate this valuable morphological feature to estimate the weight of a lizard species in a variety of different ecosystems.
- Combining resistance and endurance training best for heart health, triathlon study finds
A study of triathletes reveals that the heart adapts to triathlon training by working more efficiently.
- 'Smart materials' process promises to revolutionize manufacturing of medical devices, other products
A new "smart materials" process -- Multiple Memory Material Technology -- promises to revolutionize the manufacture of diverse products such as medical devices, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), printers, hard drives, automotive components, valves and actuators. The breakthrough technology will provide engineers with much more freedom and creativity by enabling far greater functionality to be incorporated into medical devices such as stents, braces and hearing aids than is currently possible.
- Shorter sleep durations linked to greater risks of mental distress in young adults
Results of a new study show a linear association between sleep durations of less than eight hours and psychological distress in young adults between 17 and 24 years of age. The risk of psychological distress increased by 14 percent for each hour of nightly sleep loss. Those sleeping less than six hours a night were twice as likely to be experiencing distress as average sleepers. Long sleep durations of more than nine hours showed no association with distress.
- Researchers create 'quantum cats' made of light
Researchers have created "quantum cats" made of photons, boosting prospects for manipulating light in new ways to enhance precision measurements as well as computing and communications based on quantum physics.
- Scientists identify protein that spurs formation of Alzheimer's plaques
In Alzheimer's disease, the problem is beta-amyloid, a protein that accumulates in the brain and causes nerve cells to weaken and die. Drugs designed to eliminate plaques made of beta-amyloid have a fatal problem: they need to enter the brain and remove the plaques without attacking healthy brain cells. New research, however, suggests that treatments modeled on the blockbuster cancer drug Gleevec could be the solution.
- 'You kick like a girl': Men and women use different leg and hip muscles during soccer kick
Significant differences in knee alignment and muscle activation exist between men and women while kicking a soccer ball, according to a new study. Data reveal that males activate certain hip and leg muscles more than females during the motion of the instep and side-foot kicks -- the most common soccer kicks -- which may help explain why female players are more than twice as likely as males to sustain an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
- Too much aluminum in infant formulas, UK researchers find
The aluminum content of a range of the most popular brands of infant formulas remains high, researchers in the UK have found.
- Decrease in global carbon dioxide emissions; CO2 from China, India on the rise
Global carbon dioxide emissions decreased in 2009, the first decrease recorded this decade. However, in China and India the emissions increased by 9 and 6 percent.
- Sensitivity to alcohol odors may indicate a genetic predisposition to alcohol dependence
Prior research had found an association between DNA sequence variations in a gene that encodes parts of the brain's gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA)-A receptors (the GABRA2 gene) and alcohol dependence. New research has found that the GABRA2 genotype can also affect the brain's reward responses to cues such as alcohol odors.
- Commercial organic farms have better fruit and soil, lower environmental impact, study finds
Side-by-side comparisons of organic and conventional strawberry farms and their fruit found the organic farms produced more flavorful and nutritious berries while leaving the soil healthier and more genetically diverse. The study is among the most comprehensive of its kind, analyzing 31 chemical and biological soil properties, soil DNA, and the taste, nutrition and quality of three strawberry varieties on more than two dozen commercial fields -- 13 conventional and 13 organic.
- Biochemical pathway may link addiction, compulsive eating
Ezlopitant, a compound known to suppress craving for alcohol in humans, was shown to decrease consumption of sweetened water by rodents in a new study.
- Probing for principles underlying animal flock patterns: A model system for group behavior of nanomachines
A team of physicists from Germany has developed a versatile biophysical model system that opens the door to studying phenomena such as the seemingly choreographed motion of hundreds or thousands of fish, birds, or insects, and probing their underlying principles. Using a combination of an experimental platform and theoretical models, more complex systems can now be described and their properties investigated.
- New TB diagnostic proves effective, expedient, study finds
A molecular test designed to easily diagnose tuberculosis (TB) and detect a drug-resistant form of the bacterium that causes TB can provide much more specific, sensitive and rapid results than currently available TB diagnostics, according to a new study.
- Researchers discover how to conduct first test of 'untestable' string theory
Researchers have planned how to carry out the first experimental test of string theory. String theory was originally developed to describe the fundamental particles and forces that make up our universe. The new research describes the unexpected discovery that string theory also seems to predict the behavior of entangled quantum particles. As this prediction can be tested in the laboratory, researchers can now test string theory.
- Text messages reveal the emotional timeline of September 11, 2001
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, have been called the defining moment of our time. Thousands of people died and the attacks had huge individual and collective consequences. But less is known about the immediate emotional reactions to the attacks. For a new study, researchers analyzed text messages sent on September 11, 2001 for emotional words. They found spiking anxiety and steadily increasing anger through that fateful day.
- Metal-mining bacteria are green chemists
Microbes could soon be used to convert metallic wastes into high-value catalysts for generating clean energy, say scientists.
- Stopping smoking cessation treatments too soon may reduce odds of success for 45 percent of smokers
A new study may change the way clinicians make treatment decisions for their patients who smoke. The findings suggest that current treatment theories that maintain any smoking after the planned target quit day predicts treatment failure need to be expanded to take into account a more dynamic quitting process. The research points to two types of successful quitters: those who quit immediately and remain abstinent through the end of treatment and those who are "delayed" in attaining abstinence but achieve success by the end of treatment.
- Live imaging puts new light on stem cell division
A long-held assumption about asymmetrical division of stem cells has cracked. Researchers report that the mitotic spindle does not act alone -- that cortical proteins help to position a cleavage furrow in the right location.
- Lower blood pressure may preserve kidney function in some patients
Intensively treating hypertension in some African Americans with kidney disease by pushing blood pressure well below the current recommended goal may significantly decrease the number who lose kidney function and require dialysis, suggests a new study.
- New solar prediction system gives time to prepare for the storms ahead
A new method of predicting solar storms that could help to avoid widespread power and communications blackouts costing billions of pounds has been launched by researchers in the UK.
- Economic theory suggests symbiosis is driven by simple self-interest, not rewards or punishment
Applying employment contract theory to symbiosis, a new paper suggests mutually beneficial relationships are maintained by simple self-interest, with partners benefiting from healthy hosts much as employees benefit from robust employers. The new work discounts the theory that host species have evolved to promote symbiosis by promising rewards or threatening punishment.
- Finding variants in the human genome: HapMap 3 points the way forward for human genetics studies
The results of the third phase of the HapMap study, which looks at genetic variation in multiple populations, have just been published. Researchers looked at 1184 samples from 11 populations to identify variants in the human genome. The team looked at the distribution and frequency of variants across different populations and suggest that variants in some genes, including genes involved in the immune system, wound healing and sense of smell, are under selection in different populations.
- Personalized medicine: Molecular imaging predicts treatment success in many cancers
New studies show that molecular imaging plays a critical role in the evaluation and treatment planning for a broad spectrum of cancers, including thyroid cancer and lymphoma.
- NASA and NOAA's newest GOES satellite ready for action
NASA and NOAA's latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES-15, has successfully completed five months of on-orbit testing and has been accepted into service. The satellite has demonstrated operational readiness of its subsystems, spacecraft instruments and communications services. GOES-15 is the third and final spacecraft in the GOES N-P Series of geostationary environmental weather satellites.
- Increased risk of death in men with insomnia and a short sleep duration
Men with chronic insomnia who slept for less than six hours were four times more likely to die during the 14-year follow-up period, according to a new study. Results were adjusted for potential confounders such as body mass index, smoking status, depression and obstructive sleep apnea. Further adjustments for hypertension and diabetes had little effect on the elevated mortality risk. No significant mortality risk was found in women with insomnia and a short sleep duration of less than six hours.
- Less waste with shelf-life indicator for food
Norwegian food retailers discard over 50,000 tonnes of food annually – much of it of perfectly good quality. New technology the TimeTemp company in cooperation with Norwegian research institutions could substantially reduce this wastefulness. TimeTemp has developed a new method of more precisely measuring the freshness of food items: a shelf-life indicator attached directly to the product. In addition to time, the company’s device also factors in the temperatures to which the item has been exposed.
- Violence in inner city neighborhoods contributes to trouble with asthma, study finds
Patients with asthma who are exposed to violence in their community are at an increased risk for an asthma-related hospitalization and emergency room visits for asthma or any cause, according to new research.
- Miniature auto differential helps tiny aerial robots stay aloft
Engineers have created a millionth-scale automobile differential to govern the flight of minuscule aerial robots that could someday be used to probe environmental hazards, forest fires, and other places too perilous for people. Their new approach is the first to passively balance the aerodynamic forces encountered by these miniature flying devices, letting their wings flap asymmetrically in response to gusts of wind, wing damage, and other real-world impediments.
- Unrealistic goals and standards make teachers stressed, UK study finds
New research from the UK has found that teachers who want to be happier should not try to please everyone and should have a greater say in setting targets.
- Biomedical research policy needed for therapies, economic growth, education and security
Bold and coordinated leadership at the federal level is essential to create secure, long-term, sustainable biomedical research funding policies based on strategic priorities, say the authors of a commentary about America's fledgling biomedical research framework.
- Safety cultures in emergency medical services agencies vary widely, study finds
A survey of emergency medical services agencies from across the country found wide variation in perceptions of workplace safety culture -- providing a tool that might point to potential patient safety threats, according to researchers.
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